1116 research outputs found
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Modelling the Determinants of Naira/US Dollar Currency Exchange Rates Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)
No full textIn the literature, a large number of factors are mentioned as being responsible for the relative strength or weakness of a country’s currency with respect to the currencies of other nations. Many of these variables are usually highly correlated with each other leading to the twin problems of multicollinearity and redundancy in the explanatory variables.This study examines the main determinants of currency exchange rates, and applies Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to Naira/USD data regarding the factors responsible for the steady deterioration in the Naira/USD exchange rates over time. The aim is to rank the factors in order of importance and impact on the Naira/USD exchange rate in the Nigerian environment, as such ranking may not be of universal application in all countries. The study uses Machine Learning algorithms to achieve dimensionality reduction and thus address the problem of multicollinearity and high dimensionality. The study found that three principal components adequately explain more than seventy percent of the variance, thereby making it unnecessary to use more than three explanatory variables in similar studies predicting the evolution of currency exchange rates. In this study the number of explanatory variables was drastically reduced from twenty-one to just three, while solving the problem of multicollinearity
Reinsurance Activities and Sustainability of Insurance Firms in Nigeria
No full textThe study assessed the impact of reinsurance activities on the sustainability of insurance firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the effect of reinsurance expenses on profit after tax and return on asset of selected insurance firms in Nigeria and also analysed the effect of reinsurance ceded ratio on profit after tax and return on asset. The study focused on five randomly selected insurance firms over the period of five years spanning from 2013 to 2017. Data were collected from the annual report of the sampled firms and analyses were conducted using pooled OLS, fixed effect and random effect estimation techniques, following descriptive and correlation analyses. Result showed that reinsurance expenses exert positive but not significant effect on profit after tax; effect of reinsurance ceded ratio is negative but not significant. Result further showed that effect of both reinsurance expenses and reinsurance ceded ratio on return on asset was negative and insignificant. The study concluded that reinsurance activities have no significant influence performance and sustainability of insurance firms in Nigeria, though increase in reinsurance expense could reflect positive impact on profit after tax, it influences on return on asset is negative. More so reinsurance cede ratio established negative impact on both profit after tax and return on asset, which underscores detrimental effect of reinsurance activities on a firm’s sustainability. Hence insurance firms in Nigeria should tackle the issue of performance and sustainability as a broader corporate issue influence by more than just the level of reinsurance activities, and also ensure that reinsurance ceded ratio framework does not erode the prospect of improved return on asset at any point in time
Some approximate fixed point theorems for partial Chatterjea convex contractive maps in metric spaces
No full textIn this paper, a class of partial Chatterjea convex contraction mappings of type 2 is introduced. The approximate fixed point theorems for partial Chatterjea convex contractive mappings in metric spaces is proved. Examples are provided to validate our main theorem. The results obtained in this study extend and generalize some works in the literature
Order Conditions of a Class of Three-step Hybrid Methods for y'' = f(x,y)
No full textA theoretical approach of B-series is used to analyze the convergence and order of convergence of a newly introduced class of three-step hybrid methods for integrating systems of special second order ordinary differential equations (ODEs). A straightforward technique that generates algebraic order conditions, which is easier to handle than the well known Taylor series technique, is presented. The validity of the order conditions is tested by deriving a fourth order method and compared with existing methods in the literature
EFFECTS OF EDUTAINMENT AUGMENTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDE OF BIOLOGY STUDENTS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA
No full textThis study investigated the effects of edutainment augmented with Think-Pair-Share (TPS), Reciprocal Peer Teaching (RPT) and Think Aloud Pair Problem Solving (TAPPS) collaborative settings on the academic performance and attitude of senior secondary students taught biology. The study employed a quasi-experimental design comprising of pretest, posttest and retention test using non-equivalent and non-randomized groups. The population for the study was the entire 63 public secondary schools in Abuja of which three sample schools were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Each school was randomly assigned to TPS, RPT and TAPPS collaborative setting. The edutainment simulation instructional package was administered to the three groups and the performance and attitude of the students were measured at pretest and posttest with the aid of the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) and the Attitude towards Biology Questionnaire (ATBQ) items. Findings revealed that the use of the edutainment packages significantly increased students' performance. Results from ANCOVA analysis revealed that all three collaborative settings had similar effects on the performance of the students. This study also revealed that the use of edutainment resulted in better retention scores for students. Thus, it is recommended that schools adopt the use of edutainment teaching strategie
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE USE OF STUDENTS’ WORKBOOK ON LEARNERS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
No full textThis study investigated the impact of students’ workbook usage on the academic performance of learners in tertiary institutions. The study utilized a variation-finding comparison research design on a year 1 course. Systematic differences were created among students in different academic sessions by introducing the use of a workbook to all students in a particular session (experimental group), while students in another session never made use of the workbook (control group). The workbook was purposively used to vary the level of connection and collaboration (team-based learning) amongst year one students. The data used for this paper was collected over three academic sessions (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16). The students were from five different Departments and each department is taken as a cohort. The 2013/14 academic set serves as the control group and their results were compared with 2014/15 and 2015/16 separately using differentiating comparative analysis method. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data result. The grouped data were analysed using the Independence t-test, the student’s grade was used to categorize students’ population in each academic session into five (5) groups and the mean was calculated. The data were grouped, and the mean () of their result was graded from A-F and the standard deviation (s) were calculated and n=5, p=0.05, df=4. Tcal =1.853, while Tc. The result revealed that there was a significant difference in the academic performance of students who used workbooks and those students that did not use workbooks
STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS AND INTEREST IN BUILDING/ENGINEERING DRAWING: A CASE STUDY
No full textStudents learning of and performance in any subject is affected by several factors, including students’ attitude towards and interest in the subject, teachers’ instructional practices and classroom environment. This study, therefore, investigated engineering and construction trade students’ attitudes towards and interest in Building/Engineering Drawing (BED) in Government Technical College (GTC), Ibadan, Oyo state, Data were collected through structured questionnaires from students and teachers. Mean, standard deviation and independent sample t-test statistics at .05 level of significance were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that students had negative attitudes towards BED. This study equally found that students had low interest in BED. The study found a significant influence of gender on students’ interest and attitude towards BED. Findings also revealed that the provision of a well-furnished drawing room with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) facilities, the use of a combination of demonstration with drawing instruments on chalkboard and CAD to teach BED, effective classroom management techniques, instructional techniques that include group work and hands-on activities which allow students to work collaboratively would help to improve students’ interest in and attitude towards BED in the GTC, Ibadan. It is therefore recommended among others that; In-service training on the use of CAD should be constantly organized for the technical teachers, a well-furnished drawing room with CAD facilities should be provided in the college, teachers should adopt instructional techniques that include students’ diversities, group work and hands-on activities, minimize fear, enhance active interest, and enjoyment in BED to improve students’ interest in and attitude towards BED
Proving Taylor’s Theorem from the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus by Fixed-point Iteration
No full textTaylor’s theorem (and its variants) is widely used in several areas of mathematical analysis, including numerical analysis, functional analysis, and partial differential equations. This article explains how Taylor’s theorem in its most general form can be proved simply as an immediate consequence of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTOC). The proof shows the deep connection between the Taylor expansion and fixed-point iteration, which is a foundational concept in numerical and functional analysis. One elegant variant of the proof also demonstrates the use of combinatorics and symmetry in proofs in mathematical analysis. Since the proof emphasizes concepts and techniques that are widely used in current science and industry, itcan be a valuable addition to the undergraduate mathematics curriculum
Tax Compliance and Revenue Generation in Lagos State
No full textThis study investigates tax compliance and revenue generation in Lagos State. Primary data were sourced from respondents using a self-report questionnaire distributed among a sample of three hundred and eighty-five (385) participants from organized private sector employees. The gathered data were statistically evaluated using descriptive statistics and the findings revealed that tax compliance is statistically significant with revenue generation in Lagos State. Statistical hypotheses tests showed variables in the model are significant at a 0.05% critical level implying that tax compliance, tax audit and investigation, and electronic tax filing are correlated with tax compliance and in turn, revenue generation in Lagos State
Influence of Dividend Payout Ratio on Stock Prices of Listed Firms in Nigeria
No full textToday's businesses' dividend policy is a micro-prudential driver of organizational success since it increases shareholder profit and wealth maximization. The goal of this study is to consider how dividend payout influences the share prices of mentioned firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) from 2014 to 2020, with a sample of fifteen (15) companies. The secondary data acquired for this study were analyzed using the panel least square estimate approach and Hausman's test. The econometric model regressed the dependent variable on the explanatory variables. According to this study, the dividend has a negative and inconsequential relationship